JEDDAH, 29 February 2008 — Filipino nationals applying for new passports from the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh are advised to call first so as not to waste time.
The embassy issued the advice yesterday as it announced that the issuance of new passports will be suspended again tomorrow due to a continuing shortage of passport supply from Manila.
“The supply of blank, ordinary passports has become quite unstable over the past weeks, causing the embassy to close and re-open passport processing and issuance services on several occasions,” said the embassy in a press statement. “Ambassador Antonio P. Villamor has instructed the Consular Section and Duty Officers at the embassy to keep phone lines open for callers who request updates in this regard,” said the statement.
It added that Villamor has been constantly requesting the Department of Foreign Affairs to resume the supply of passports pending the implementation of the Machine Readable Passport (MRP) project at Philippine Embassies and Consulates.
The embassy can be contacted at telephone number 482-3816 during office hours or 482-3559 after office hours.
